'How Starbucks Saved My Life'

by Nicole Weston, Posted Mar 29th 2006 @ 11:14AM

Tom Hanks just might be seen at a Starbucks near you - wearing that green employee apron, not on the customer side of the counter. Universal just picked up the rights to an as-yet-unpublished book by Michael Gates Gill about a man who, fired from his executive job, is forced to start over in the service industry, working at a coffee shop. The movie, titled How Starbucks Saved My Life, is slated to begin production later this year. Though the memoir is based on events that happened in the late 1960's, it seems likely that the movie will be set in the present.

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Filed Under: Coffee Shops
Tags: barista, coffee shop, memoir, movie, new movie, starbucks, starbucks movie, tom hanks, TomHanks, true story, universal

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-29-2006 @11:58AM petra said... Wow, a 2 hrlong ad for Starbucks ... anyone remember the Nintendo movie 'The Wizard'.
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3-29-2006 @4:35PM RC of strangeculture said... Did starbucks exhist in the 60s??

I really wish it wasn't starbucks but some random coffee shop w/ a made up name.

--RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com
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3-29-2006 @5:56PM Nicole Weston said... No, Starbucks didn't exist in the 1960's. Their first one opened in 1971, which is what led me to believe that the movie will be set in the present, not in the original time frame. I'm also hoping it is set somewhere where Tom Hanks will not subject the movie-going public to yet another poor attempt at a regional accent.
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3-29-2006 @6:16PM kitchenmage said... I'm confused. Since S'bux didn't exist then, and the guy couldn't have worked there, where did the title come from? Did Gill pick the name because it will scan well on search engines?

Is S'bux involved in the deal? (They'd pretty much have to be since it will be all about them as far as set dressing goes.) Is money changing hands here and, if so, how much in which directions?

How does the owner of the coffee shop that actually "saved his life" feel about being replaced by S'bux? As a huge fan of irony, I can only hope that when the publicity machine gears up it is discovered that the place Gill worked has disappeared because S'bux came to town. Kind of like happened in the book.

Will Hanks stage at a S'bux for a while to get in touch with his inner barista? (I can envision the photo op at a Hollywood Starbucks.)

And finally, will there be a Fed Ex guy that stops in to get his venti extra-foam, half-caf, low-fat with a splash of cream with a twist latte? Or a basketball player?

(feeling a bit cynical today)
~km
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3-29-2006 @7:42PM Nicole Weston said... I'm sure that the setting was changed to Starbucks because the name alone has power to draw people in. Whether Starbucks has an "in" on the deal will be interesting to see....
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3-30-2006 @1:43PM dave said... Eew...product placement at it's best! (or worst)
Tom Hanks and Starbucks...they deserve each other! Tow things I just can't stand. Thanks for the heads up.
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3-30-2006 @1:46PM dave said... I can't stand product placement, Tom Hanks, and Starbuck's, so thanks for the heads up.
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4-16-2006 @8:29PM Judith Amerine said... There is such a thing as artistic license. STARBUCKS CHANCED MY LIFE can mean something different to everyone. For all those who appreciate Starbucks Coffee (and Tom Hanks!), this movie may be a tribute to how the iconic company of Starbucks has improved the quality of life for many people. I could wax poetic but suffice it to say that Starbucks changed my life. The decade for the setting of the movie is not important.I suspect the concept is creative. Viewers should not take everything so literally. Personally, I'm looking forward to the movie. I could add my own take o How a great cup of coffee can make a simple day a special time.
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4-19-2006 @6:08PM Adam said... "Starbucks changed my life...I could add my own take o How a great cup of coffee can make a simple day a special time."
Judith Amerine

My God, are you a Starbucks marketer or something! Are you working on a commission?!
Anyway, this seems to me an extremely lazy attempt to basicly charge people to watch one of the worlds most bankable stars in a 120 minute starbucks ad. Anyone remember Castaway? Hanks' FedEx employee marooned on an island with only FedEx boxes to help him survive and a Wilson volleyball friend named...Wilson. What a great excuse for the character to scream the brands name at the audience ("Wilson! Wilson! WILSON!!!"). I hope this is not going to happen again, but at the moment it's leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
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4-28-2006 @11:40PM Marty said... Nothing but love for Starbucks from me.

I am certain the title is a change because of the + perception of the company in the publics eyes. I am slo pretty certain there are more than a few stories JUST LIKE THIS ONE that are true in the Starbucks company history.

Personally I am looking forward to it.
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